Continuous washing method and apparatus



March 10, 1970 E. B. BAHNSEN 3,

CONTINUOUS WASHING METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. 21, 1965 11 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Erwin B. Buhnsen BY M W 3 i March 10, 1970 E. B. BAHNSEN 3,

CONTINUOUS WASHING METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. 21, 1965 ll Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR. Erwin B. Bohnsen March 10, 1970 BAHNSEN 3,499,176

CONTINUOUS WASHING METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. 21, 1965 ll Sheets-Sheet 5 E. B. BAHNSEN CONTINUOUS WASHING METHOD AND APPARATUS March 10, 197% Original Filed Oct. 21, 1965 11 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG. II

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02 v v A 0N2 mum 3% 22 0 Q March 10, 1970 E. B. BAHNSEN CONTINUOUS WASHING METHOD AND APPARATUS l1 Sheets-Sheet 11 Original Filed Oct. 21, 1965 INVENTOR. Erwin B. Bohnsen United States Patent 3,499,176 CONTINUOUS WASHING METHOD AND APPARATUS Erwin B. Bahnsen, Hinsdale, Ill., assignor to Steiner American Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah, a corporation of Nevada Original application Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,137, now Patent No. 3,439,365, dated Apr. 22, 1969. Divided and this application July 19, 1968, Ser. No. 746,012

Int. Cl. D06c 1/100; D06f 29/02, 19/00 US. Cl. 8149.1 57 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and an apparatus for washing, rinsing and drying soiled fabric articles, wherein the articles are washed by transporting them on a foraminous belt along a sinuous path through a soil loosening alkaline solution and then through a soil removing detergent solution all while subjecting elemental portions of the fabric to cycloidal motion at a repetition rate of four hundred per minute and a maximum displacement of one-quarter inch, and wherein the articles are rinsed by forcing a mixture of water and gas repeatedly through the articles in a countercurrent manner while the articles are transported along an upwardly inclined path, and wherein the articles are dried by subjecting them successively to radiant heat and blasts of warm air while the articles are transported along a horizontal path.

This application is a division of the co-pending application for United States Letters Patent Ser. No. 499,137, filed Oct. 21, 1965, now Patent No. 3,439,365, by Erwin B. Bahnsen for Continuous Washing Method and Apparatus.

This invention pertains to methods and apparatus for washing, rinsing and drying pliant materials, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for washing, rinsing and drying pliant materials by passing them successively through a first immersion step to disintegrate and loosen soil, at second immersion step to remove soil, a rinsing step, and a drying step. The method and apparatus of this invention are useful in commercial laundries for washing flatwork, and are applicable especially for automatic, high speed, economical washing of rolled towels and other elongated, flexible fabric articles.

In general, the novel method of this invention comprises the steps of disintegrating and loosening the soil by passing the work through an alkaline solution while imparting to each of the elemental portions of the work a cycloidal motion, removing the soil by passing the work through a detergent solution While maintaining the cycloidal motion, rinsing the detergent solution from the work such as by passing it beneath one or more orifices emitting hot gas intermixed with water, and then drying the work such as by passing it through a succession of gas flames.

In a preferred novel washing system embodying the method of this invention, soiled flatwork is conveyed be tween mutually-contiguous portions of two foraminous, endless belts disposed for movement through a tank having a first compartment filled with a predominantly alkaline solution and a second compartment filled with a predominantly detergent solution. In the first compartment soil is disintegrated and loosened and in the second compartment, the soil substantially is disassociated from the work. The portion of the conveyor transport mechanism immersed in the tank is subjected, in the preferred apparatus, to orbital motion of about one-eighth inch radius and about four hundred cycles per minute. As a result, each elemental portion of the flatwork moves cycloidally at a frequency of about 400 cycles per minute relative to Patented Mar. 10, 1970 the surrounding fluid. This process, it has been found, reduces the time required for effective cleansing action from about eighty minutes for conventional batch-type washing installations, to about three minutes for a continuous-duty system embodying the present invention.

Upon emergence from the tank, the flatwork, in the preferred system, passes automatically through a rollertype wringer which expresses a large percentage of the detergent fluid from the work. After wringing, the flatwork is deposited upon the upper, substantially-horizontal surface of a first flat, endless, open-mesh belt which carries it into sandwiched relation with the lower surface of a second flat, endless open-mesh belt. While holding the flatwork between their contiguous surface portions, the conveyor passes beneath a succession of rinsing units Which force a mixture of rinsing solution and gas through elongated orifices effectively in contact with or immedi ately adjacent the work and disposed transversely with respect to the direction of movement. Rinsing solution is supplied continuously to the last of the rinsing units. Beneath each orifice is a vessel for collecting the eflluent, and a pump and conduit for transporting the eflluent in a counterflow direction to the next unit where it is used again. Superheated steam or other suitable gas is supplied to each rinsing unit to heat the eflluent, reduce the quantity thereof required for effective rinsing, and to provide the pressure required to force the eflluent-gas mixture through the work. The effluent from the unit nearest the tank is then conducted to the first compartment where it replenishes the fluid carried from the tank and expressed by the detergent wringer.

After discharge from the rinsing conveyor, excess liquid, in the preferred system, is expressed by a second rollertype wringer, and the work then is deposited on the upper surface of a wire-mesh, endless conveyor belt which carries it through a series of gas flames or across other suitable drying apparatus, for drying. Thus, soiled flatwork may move continuously and automatically through a complete washing system embodying the present invention, and emerge within minutes clean, dry, or damp-dry, in condition for immediate use, ironing, or other further processing as required.

The idealized general objectives of automatic, continuous-duty washing systems include high speed, effec tive cleaning action with minimum wear on the work being processed, and increased economy of operation through minimization or elimination of the need for manual participation. Needless to say, these objectives have not been attained by the prior art.

In the past, the use of upper and lower endless, openmesh belts for transporting soiled items through a continuous washing system has been recognized as an advantageous method which minimizes wear and enhances automatic processing by maintaining the work fixed in a tension-and-stretch free, flat condition during its trip through the washing cycle. However, the results of prior attempts to apply conveyor systems of this type generally have been unsatisfactory on account of the difficulty of producing sufiicient appulsion and reaction between elemental portions of the work and surrounding detergent solutions for good cleaning results. The known expedients for overcoming this difiiculty, none of which have been entirely satisfactory, have involved subjecting the work to repetitive cycles of immersion, or spraying, and then wringing; agitating the fluid in the vicinity of the work; scrubbing the work with brushes or beating it while it is immersed in a detergent bath; or by various combinations of the foregoing.

It should be apparent that procedures like scrubbing or beating which involve dynamic friction between the work and other objects detract from the principal advantages of using a laminar belt conveyor, namely, the minimization of wear and avoidance of wrinkles or other disordering effects. In washing systems where paddlewheels or other devices for agitating the fluid have been used alone, it has been found that the resulting relative motion between the fluid and the work only slightly increases the effectiveness of soil disassociation. Hence, the number of agitators and the length of the path through the tank necessary to achieve satisfactory cleansing results are rendered inordinate, and the resulting high costs of installation and operation have prohibited commercial use of systems incorporating devices of this type.

The novel method and apparatus of this invention resolves the problems which have plagued the prior art, and, for the first time, achieves the idealized general objectives defined for automatic, continuous-duty washing systems. In fact, the cleansing efiiciency of a system embodying this invention has been increased so greatly that the time required for processing heavily-soiled flatwork is on the order of four percent of that required by batch-type washing systems. The high speed, cleansing efficiency, and, in part, the economy of this novel system have been made possible by an ingenious resolution of the problem of producing greatly improved mutual appulsion and reaction between elemental portions of the work and the surrounding fluid. Further economy is achieved by repeatedly using the same rinse solution in successive stages of rinsing. This is done by conducting the rinse solution along a counterflow path from the last to the first of a multiplicity of rinsing units, and thenc forth to the first washing tank where it replenishes the fluid removed from the tank by the work at it passes to the rinser stage.

An automatic, continuous-duty washing system embodying the present invention comprises, in its presently preferred form, a tank having a first compartment containing a predominantly alkaline solution for disintegrating and loosening (breaking) the soil, and a second compartment containing a predominantly detergent solution for disassociating the soil from the work; an orbital frame having roller-support brackets suspended in the first and second compartments; rotatable rollers mounted in mutually-parallel and spaced-apart relation in opposing support brackets; a pair of flat, endless, foraminous belts having a portion of their external surfaces disposed in laminar relation, the laminar portion being sinuously interwoven with said rollers; first means for imparting rotation to the rollers so that the belts move together in the same direction along an undulating path while traveling through the first and second compartments, whereby work to be washed can be flattened and inserted between the belts at the point where the belts converge, and thenceforth be held more or less fixedly in sandwiched relation with the belts as they pass through the tank; and second means for producing orbital motion of the frame and consequent cycloidal motion of each elemental portion of the work as it moves through the tank. In addition, the preferred system includes means for receiving and wringing detergent automatically from the work emerging from the tank; a rinsing conveyor formed of two flat, endless, open-mesh belts having a portion of their external surfaces disposed substantially horizontally and in laminar relation, whereby the upper surface of the lower belt may receive work emerging from the detergent Wringer and carry it into sandwiched relation with the upper belt for its trip through the rinser; a multiplicity of rinsing units, in the preferred form, having narrow elongated orifices effectively in contact with or immediately adjacent the upper surface of the laminally-related belts; means for supplying superheated steam or another gas to each of the rinsing units; means for supplying a rinsing fluid to the last of the rinsing units; means disposed below each of said rinsing units for collecting the rinse effluent and conducting it counter to the direction of rinse conveyor movement to 4 v the next succeeding rinsing unit where it is used again; means for conducting the rinse effluent from the unit nearest the tank to the first compartment of the tank in order to replenish liquid lost at the detergent wringer; means for wringing rinse liquid from the Work as it emerges from the rinse conveyor; a horizontal drying conveyor comprising a flat endless woven wire belt disposed substantially-horizontally in a position to receive work discharged from the rinsing conveyor; and a plurality of gas flame burners or other drying units disposed beneath or adjacent the drying conveyor between its receiving and discharge points for drying the work.

From the foregoing it, it should be apparent that the objects of this invention include the provision of:

(1) An automatic, high-speed, economical, continuous-duty washing method and system;

(2) An automatic, high-speed, continuous-duty washing method and system wherein cleansing action is pro duced predominantly by mutual appulsion and reaction between elemental portions of the work and a cleansing solution;

(3) An automatic, high-speed, continuous washing method and system wherein economy is achieved through reuse of the same rinse solution flowing through a plurality of rinsing units in a direction counter to the movement of the work, and cleansing action is achieved, in the absence of dynamic friction between the work and other objects, principally as the result of mutual appulsion and reaction between elemental portions of the work and a cleansing solution;

(4) An automatic, high-speed, continuous washing method and system wherein cleansing action is achieved, in the absence of dynamic friction between the work and brushes, suction cups, corrugated cylinders or the like, principally as the result of mutual appulsion and r action between elemental portions of the work and a cleansing solution produced by oscillatory displacement of elemental portions of the work through a preferred distance on the order of one-quarter inch and at a preferred frequency on the order of four hundred cycles per minute.

(5) An automatic, high-speed, continuous washing method and system wherein cleansing action occurs in the absence of dynamic friction between the work and brushes, suction cups, corrugated cylinders or the like, principally as the result of mutual appulsion and reaction between elemental portions of the work and a cleansing solution produced by movement of elemental portions of the work along a cycloidal path having a radial displacement which is preferably on the order of one-eighth inch and a looping frequency on the order of four hundred cycles per minute;

(6) An automatic, continuous-duty washing method and system wherein mutual appulsion and reaction between elemental portions of the work and a cleansing solution is produced by movement of elemental portions of the work along a cycloidal path having a preferred radial displacement on the order of one-eighth inch and a preferred looping frequency on the order of four hundred cycles per minute, with the result that effective cleansing action occurs in the absence of dynamic friction between the work and scrubbing or beating instrumentalities at a rate of about twenty-five times that of conventional batch-type washing systems;

(7) An automatic, continuous-duty washing system capable of removing dirt from heavily-soiled flatwork by conveying it through breaking and detergent solutions while being held firmly in a generally fiat condition, and at the same time imparting to the portion of the conveyor transport mechanism immersed within the liquid an orbital motion having a preferred radius of about one-eighth inch and a preferred frequency of about four hundred cycles per minute;

(8) An automatic, continuous-duty washing system wherein dirt may be disassociated from heavily-soiled fiatwork by carrying it through a cleansing solution while being held firmly in a substantially flat, tension-andstretch-free condition between contiguous flights of upper and lower endless, open-mesh belts traveling, in turn, on a conveyor transport mechanism which is orbited around a preferred path of about one-eighth inch radius at a frequency of about 400 cycles per minute, and wherein economy of operation may be achieved by utilizing the same rinse fluid flowing in a counterfow direction through a plurality of rinsing units and thence into the cleansing solution to replenish fluid carried away by the work.

(9) An automatic, continuous-duty washing system wherein dirt may be disassociated rapidly from heavilysoiled flatwork by maintaining a cyclically appulsivereactive motion of each elemental portion of the work at a preferred frequency of about four hundred cycles per minute during the full length of its travel through a suitable cleansing solution, and wherein economy of operation may be effected from repeated use of the same rinse fluid by causing it to flow in a counterflow direction through a plurality of rinsing units wherein it may be mixed with a hot gas, and thence into the cleansing solution to replace liquid carried away by the work; and

An automatic, continuous-duty washing system characterized by markedly greater speed, cleansing effectiveness, economy of operation, and gentleness of work processing than could be obtained through utilization of the methods and apparatus of the prior art.

The foregoing paragraphs are intended to summarize and explain the significance of this invention in relation to the problems which it resolves, and should not be construed to narrow the scope of protection delimited by the claims set forth hereinafter, For a more complete understanding of the procedures, structure, operation, and novel features of the method and apparatus of this invention, reference is made to the following description and the drawings, wherein;

FIG. 1 represents diagrammatically a longitudinal cross section through the feeder, Washer, detergent wringer, rinser, water wringer, and dryer stages of a washing system in accordance with the method of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged diagrammatic representation of a longitudinal cross section through the feeder stage;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged representation of a longitudinal cross section of the portion of the system leading to the detergent wringer stage;

FIG. 4 is a front side elevation of the washer stage representing general features of tank construction and the orbital driving mechanism in a preferred embodiment of the system;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation of the washer stage, as seen from the direction of the arrows 5-5 in FIG. 4, representing general features of the tank and eXit rollers, but with certain parts, such as the conveying belts removed, for clearness of illustration;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the washer stage representing general features of the tank, orbital frame and driving mechanism and conveyor rollers, with the general loca tion of the conveying belts indicated by broken lines and certain upper rollers removed for clearness of illustration;

FIG, 7 is an enlarged section representing the structural details of the seams which may be used to unite panels forming the side and end walls of the washing tank;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross section in elevation of the washer stage taken substantially along the plane 88 of FIG. 6, and representing features of the orbital frame and its drive mechanism, with certain portions of the tank wall shown and other portions broken away;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal cross section in elevation of the Washer stage taken substantially along the plane 9-9 of FIG. 6, and representing, in part schematically, structural features of the tank, the staggered arrangement of the conveyor-transport rollers mounted thereon, and the sinuous path of the conveyor belts through the washer stage;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged partial horizontal cross section taken along the plane 10-10 of FIG. 8, and representing structural features of the tank, the orbital frame and drive mechanism, and the conveyor-transport rollers;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section representing structural details of the conveyor belt, the conveyor-transport rollers, and their rotatable mounting in the orbital frame;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view, in partial section, representing the eccentrically-rotatable mounting structure of the orbital frame;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse cross section taken substantially along the vertical plane 1313 of FIG. 8 representing structural details of the orbital and roller drive mechanism and mountings, and their supporting members;

FIG. 14 is a similar fragmentary transverse cross section taken substantially along the vertical plane 14 14 of FIG. 8, and representing structural details of the tank foundation, the orbital and roller drive mechanisms and mountings, and their supporting members;

FIG. 15 is a greatly enlarged partial longitudinal cross section taken substantially along the vertical plane 15 15 of FIG. 14, and representing structural details of the rollers and roller drive mechanism;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged diagram in partial cross section of the front side elevation of the soap wringer, rinsing, water wringer, and dryer stages of the washing sys tem of this invention;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged side view, in partial cross section, of one of the knife rinsing units utilized in the rinsing stage;

FIG. 18 is an elevation in partial cross section of one of the knife rinsing units utilized in the rinsing stage;

FIG. 19 represents diagrammatically the path of the chain drives for the respective conveyor transports of the washer, and dryer stages;

FIG. 20 illustrates, in greatly enlarged form, the laminal relation of conveyor belts and interjacent flat- -work as they move along their sinuous path through the stationary washing solution in the washer stage;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged view of the section 21 of FIG. 20 representing the manner in which fabric is sandwiched between the conveyor belts during its trip through the washer, and how the fabric is flexed back and forth during the orbital motion of the conveying mechanism;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged plan view of a wire mesh belt suitable for use in the conveyor of the washer stage; and FIG. 23 represents prefererd eccentricity details for mounting the rotatable supporting shaft for the orbital frame.

THE WASHING SYSTEM As represented in FIG. 1, a continuous-duty, automatic washing system in accordance with this invention generally comprises a washer stage 1 wherein the work is sandwiched between endless belts of a conveyor 71 and carried through the washing solutions of tank 2 while being subjected simultaneously to an orbital motion provided by a conveyor transport mechanism 70, and a roller-type detergent wringer stage disposed beneath the discharge end of the conveyor 71 for expressing washing solution from the work emerging from the tank 2. A rinser stage 220 provided with an endless belt conveyor 221 is disposed in cooperative relation with the wringer stage 190 for receiving and carrying the work from the wringer stage 190 successively beneath each of four rinsing units 230a, 230b, 2300, and 230d, wherein the same rinse solution supplied via a pipe 252, and moving in a counterflow direction, is mixed in each uit with superheated steam or air or other gas supplied through pipes 253 and is then forced under pressure through the work. A roller-type rinse wringer stage 260 is disposed at the discharge end of the rinse conveyor 221 for expressing rinse solution from the work leaving the rinser stage 220, and a dryer stage 275 having an endless belt conveyor 276 is disposed in cooperative relation with the rinse wringer stage 260 for receiving and carrying the work past suitable drying means which, for simplicity, is shown in FIG. 1 to be gas flames emanating from a. plurality of burners 277.

One of the important features of this invention is the efficiency and rapidity with which dirt is d sassociated from the work passing through the solutions in the tank 2. In one embodiment of this invention it was found that the speed and effectiveness of disassociation was sufficient to enable heavily-soiled fiatwork to be cleaned satisfactorily while traveling for only three minute-s through the tank 2 along a conveyor path 240 feet in length. This extraordinary cleansing action app-ears to be attributable principally to an orbital motion imparted to the immersed portion of the conveyor transport mechanism 70 in a manner to be described below. As a result of the forward movement of the conveyor 71 and the orbital motion of the immersed portion of the transport mechanism 70, each elemental portion of the conveyor 71, and the work carried thereby, moves along a cycloidal path while traveling through the tank 2. As a consequence of this motion, elemental portions of the work are in continuous applusive-reactive interaction with the surrounding cleansing solutions. It is this continuous interaction between the Work and the fluid washing solutions which eifects the remarkably rapid and thorough disassociation of the dirt.

In accordance with another important feature of this invention, substantially all of the cleansing solution and suspended dirt remaining in the flatwork is diluted and displaced as a result of the economical, rapid, and effective rinsing action occurring in the novel rinser stage 220. In the rinser stage 220, the rinse solution supplied to the rinsing unit 230d is collected and then pumped into the rinsing unit 2300 where it is again heated and forced through the work by superheated steam, or air or other gas, supplied through the pipes 253 from a source (not shown). In this manner, the same rinse solution also is reused successively in the rinsing units 23012 and 23%. From the latter unit, the rinse solution is collected and conducted to the tank 2 where it replenishes liquid lost at the detergent wringer stage 190. Because the same rinse solution is conducted in a counterfiow direction and is heated and mixed with superheated steam or hot air or other gas prior to explosion through the work beneath each of the tour rinsing units 230a to 230d, a considerable reduction in the required amount of rinse solution per unit of time is effected. For example, only 50 gallons of rinse solution per minute would be required for excellent rinsing action across work having a transverse dimension of ten feet. This means that the consumption of rinse solution may be about 1.55 gallons to 1.75 gallons per pound of dry fabric, as compared to an average consumption of about 3.5 gallons per pound required by conventional rinse systems. Hence, the rinser stage 220 not only rinses rapidly and efficiently, but with less consumption of rinse solution than has been required heretofore by conventional washing systems.

WASHER STAGE The washer stage 1, illustrated schematically in FIG. 1, is made up of the endless belt conveyor 71, the tank 2, and the conveyor transport mechanism 70 including a series of rollers 130 and 130a to 130w, roller drive mechanism described hereinafter in detail and illustrated in FIG. 19, an orbital support frame 80 which supports roller support brackets 90 to 93 mounting the rollers 130 in the tank 2, and an orbital drive mechanism 146 for imparting the aforedescri-bed orbital motion to the roller support brackets 9-0 to 93 and thus to those rollers I130 carried thereby. The conveyor 71 includes a feeder section 170 for receiving dry work manually or otherwise fed into the washing system, a laminar portion 71 a for transporting the work along a sinuous path via groups of the rollers 130 immersed in a first compartment 3 and a second compartment 4 of the tank 2, and a discharge section 171 for carrying the work into the detergent wringer stage 190.

The conveyor 71 includes upper and lower openmesh, fiat, endless belts 72 and 73, respectively, made of stainless steel, molded nylon, or other non-corrosive materials characterized by high tensile strength and'durability. One type of foraminous belting suitable for use in fabricating the upper and lower endless belts 72 and 73 is represented best in FIGS. 21 and 22. As shown in these figures, a suitable mesh belt is made of a plurality of sections 74, each section 74 having a straight end 75, inwardly inclined sides 76, and a series of zig-zag loops 77 having one set of colinear apexes 77a in linking relation with its own straight end 75 and another set of apexes 77b in linking and pivotal relation with the straight end of the next adjacent section 74. A mesh formed in this manner and having about eight apertures per lineal and transverse foot has been found to provide suflicient support and openings of adequate size for optimum appulsive-reactive interact-ion between the work and the cleansing solutions. A reduction in the size of the openings attenuates the interaction and yields less satisfactory washing results.

As represented in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper and lower belts 72 and 73 converge to form the laminar portion 71:: of the conveyor 71 which is carried on the rollers through a cleansing solution 30 contained in the tank 2. A chain and sprocket driving mechanism, to be described below, drives the upper belt 72 in a general counterclockwise direction, and the lower belt 73 in a general clockwise direction. Hence, the sections of the belts 72 and 73 forming the laminar portion 71a of the conveyor 71 move together and in the same direction through the tank 2. Concurrently with linear movement of the belts 72 and 73, the orbital drive mechanism 146 (hereinafter described), imparts orbital motion to the rollers 130 within the tank 2. Consequently, as will be seen, each element of the laminar portion 71a of the conveyor 71 moves along a cycloidal path through the solution 30. It is this motion which produces the appulsive-reactive interaction between the fiatwork designated by the numeral 19 and the cleansing solution 30 required to achieve the extraordinary speed and washing results made possible by the method and apparatus of this invention.

The movement of the laminar portion 71a of the conveyor 71 through the tank 2 is along a sinuous path down and around the outer peripheries of the rollers 130 in a first vertical tier or festoon 134M of the rollers 130, up and around the rollers of a second tier 13%, both of the tiers 130a and 1341b being in the first compartment 3 of the tank 2, thence over a drive roller 130C and down a tier 130a, up a tier 1302, down a tier 130 up a final tier 130g, and thence out of the tank 2 over a drive roller 13071. FIG. 20 illustrates schematically, on an enlarged scale, how the two belts 72 and 73 move in the sinuous path down a representative tier of the rollers 139 with the fiatwork 19 disposed between the belts 72 and 73. To minimize stress in the laminar portion 710, all of the rollers of the tiers 130a, 130b, 130d, 1302, 13h} and 130g are driven synchronously by a chain and sprocket roller drive mechanism to be hereinafter described. From the drive roller 13911, the lower belt 73 diverges from upper belt 72 and enters the discharge section 171 of the conveyor 71. In the discharge section 171, the lower belt 73 moves along a short horizontal flight 73a and then around a feeder roller 1301' of the detergent wringer stage 1%. From this point the lower belt 73 is carried via idler rollers 13tlj, 130k, 130! and 130m along a return flight running adjacent to the inner surfaces of the ends and bottom of the tank 2,

and then via an idler roller 130n back to the feeder sec tion 170 of the system beginning at a roller 130p.

Upon leaving the drive roller 13011, the upper belt 72 diverges from the lower belt 73. This frees the flatwork emerging from the tank 2, leaving it lying in position on the surface of the horizontal flight 73a for passage through the discharge section 171 and entry into the detergent wringer stage 190. After diverging from the lower belt 73, the upper belt 72 begins its return flight to the feeder section 170 via an idler roller 130g and a drive roller 1301.

The staggered arrangement of the rollers 130 in the tank 2 advantageously lengthens the path of travel of the conveyor 71 through the cleansing solutions while maintaining the belts 72 and 73 pressed together tightly enough to hold the interjacent work 19 firmly in position, a requirement for translation of the orbital motion of the rollers 130 into eflicient appulsive-reactive interaction between the work and the cleansing solutions. Furthennore, the relationship of the length of drive chain corresponding, respectively, to the length of the flight between two drive rollers 130v and 130w, and the length of the flight between the drive roller 13011 and the idler roller 130g, are adjusted to insure that enough slack exists in these short flights of the conveyor 71 to enable orbital motion of the rollers 13% and 130w along with their adjacent tiers of rollers 130, without producing harmful stresses in the belts 72 and 73.

The feeder section 170 of the system (FIG. 2), includes a short horizontal flight 73b of the lower belt 73 supported at a convenient working level above a floor and extending between the roller 130p and the point of convergence of the lower belt 73, with the return flight of the upper belt 72 at a roller 136s. The flatwork 19 is, of course, fed into the system by feeding the flatwork onto the horizontal flight 7317, where it is carried to the idler roller 130s where the two belts 72 and 73 converge and, thus, thereafter hold the flatwork therebetween. From the roller 130s, the conveyor 71 follows a vertical flight leading into the tank 2. A drive roller 13th and a guide roller 130a are located in positions which will relieve the belts 72 and 73 from much of the strain of supporting their own weight during the upward flight, and a series of guide rollers 134, supported in spaced-apart and staggered relation, bear against opposite external surfaces of the belts 72 and 73, thereby pressing them firmly together to preserve their laminar relation and preventing the flatwork sandwiched between them from tending to slip out of position. The drive rollers 130v and 130w support the conveyor 71 in a short aerial flight over the forward edge of the tank 2 and into its downward path along the first vertical tier of rollers 130a.

An auxiliary roller 135 (see FIG. 2) may bear against the upper surface of the short horizontal flight 73b at the feed section 170 of the system to preserve the prearranged and flattened position of the flatwork 19 during 1ts brief trip along the horizontal flight 73b to the roller 130s, where the upper belt 72 converges upon both the work and the lower belt 73. To facilitate manual positioning and smoothing of the work in preparation for feeding it into the conveyor 71, an apron (not shown) may be disposed adjacent to the roller 130;; of the feeder section 170.

The discharge section 171 of the conveyor 71 (see FIG. 3) includes the short horizontal flight 73a of the lower belt 73, the feeder roller 130i, and a guide belt 136 supported, in contiguous relation with the portion of the lower belt 73 around the feeder roller 136i by rollers 137 and 138. Hence, the flatwork 19 transported on the short horizontal flight 7312 comes into interjacent relation with the guide belt 136 and the belt 73 and remains there while being carried around the feeder roller 130i to the surface of a rotatable drum 191 of the detergent wringer stage 190.

The rectangular tank 2 is divided into the first compartrnent 3 and the second compartment 4 by a transverse partition 6. The first compartment 3 preferably contains an alkaline solution for disintegrating and loosening dirt on and in the flatwork 19, and the second compartment 4 preferably contains a detergent-bleach solution for effecting disassociation of the dirt from the work 19. Although the dry work 19 entering the compartment 3 becomes saturated and carries some of the alkaline solution into the compartment 4, substantially an equal amount of liquid is carried out of the compartment 4 as the work emerges from the tank 2 and enters the detergent wringer stage 190. Hence, the transmission of fluid from the compartment 3 into the compartment 4 does not cause the latter to overflow. Furthermore, the orbital motion imparted to the rollers shakes excess fluid from the con veyor 71 and from the work 19 carried thereby while it is traversing an aerial flight 71b in moving from the compartment 3 to the compartment 4, and while traversing an aerial flight 710 in moving from the compartment 4 to the detergent wringer stage 190. Moreover, the relatively small amount of alkaline solution added to the compartment 4 has virtually no effect on the cleansing etficacy of the detergent-bleach solution contained therein.

The fluid removed from the compartment 3 by absorption in and adsorption on and entrainment with the work 19 is replenished by the rinse effluent from the rinser stage 220 through a pipe 251. Inasmuch as the volume of the rinse eflluent exceeds the amount of alkaline solution absorbed in and adsorbed on and entrained with the work 19 leaving the compartment 3, this latter compartment is provided with an overflow pipe (not shown). Furthermore, the tank 2 may be equipped with conventional devices (not shown) for adding alkali, detergent and bleach, as desired, while the washing system is in operation. Alternatively, these supplies may be added manually.

The structural features of the tank 2, in the preferred embodiment, are represented best in FIGS. 4, 5, 9 and 10. There are provided a front side wall 7, a rear side wall 8, a front end wall 9 and a rear end wall 10 which are all fabricated of rectangular panels 11 made of stainless steel or other corrosion-proof material having the requisite strength and imporosity, and having flanges 11a (FIG. 7) extending in the same direction from the edges of their long sides. Bolts 12 may be used to fasten the flanges 11a of the adjacent panels 11 together between rectangular reinforcing strips 29, and in abutting and watertight relation against a gasket 13 (FIG. 7).

The panels 11 are fastened by bolts 14 to a rectangular frame 15 made, for example, of stainless steel angle bars supported on a stainless steel bottom plate 16 of the tank 2. The rectangular top of the frame 15 (FIG. 6) comprises four horizontal angle bars 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d fastened end-to-end to the respective upper extremi ties of four upright angle bars 15e, 15f, 15g and 15h. The bottom of the frame 15 may be formed in a manner similar and may include end bars 15i and 15 (FIG. 9). A front side bar 15k (FIG. 10), and rear side bar (not shown). The bottom angle bars may be welded to the bottom plate 16 (FIGS. 8 and 9) to form a leakproof seal. Holes are provided in the angle bars 15a through 1511 and along the short sides of the panels .11 to accommodate the bolts 14 used for fastening the panels 11 to the frame 15. Watertight seals between the frame 15 and the walls may be effected through the use of gaskets (not shown) in a manner similar to that used in fastening the flanges 11a of the panels 11 to each other (FIG. 7). By use of the construction just referred to, it will be appreciated that the individual panels 11 may easily be removed for ready access to the interior of all parts of the tank.

The partition 6, made of a suitable non-corrosive material like stainless steel, for example, extends transversely from the front side wall 7 of the tank to the rear side wall 8 thereof, thereby dividing the interior of the tank 2 into the previously mentioned first compart- 1 1 ment 3 and second compartment 4. Flanges 6a, provided along the sides of the partition 6 (FIG. 10), have holes for accommodating bolts 17 which secure the partition to the front and rear side walls 7 and 8 of the tank 2. The upper edge of the partition 6 is secured by more bolts 17 to an angle bar 18 (FIG. 6) extending transversely between the angle bars 15a and 15b forming the upper hor'montal sides of the frame 15. The bottom edge of the partition 6 is notched and flanged. The notched portion of the bottom edge of the partition 6 is fastened to the top of an air chamber 26 (FIGS. 8 and 9), and the remainder is fastened to the bottom plate 16 of the tank 2.

The air chamber 20 is disposed between the partition 6 and the bottom plate 16 of the tank 2 in order to pro vide a passage through the partition 6 for a return flight 730 of the lower belt 73. The air chamber 20 has a length at least equal to the width of the belt 73 and, as represented in FIG. 9, has the form of an inverted trough 21 extending transversely across the belt. The trough 21 has its front end closed by a vertical front end piece 22 (FIG. 8) and its rear end closed by a similar end piece (not shown). The end pieces support the trough 21 so that its front and rear edges 21a and 21b are separated from the upper surface of the bottom plate 16 by a distance sufiicient to permit the passage of the belt 73. A semi-partition 23 is mounted on the bottom plate 16 beneath the trough 21 and extends from the front end piece 22 to the corresponding rear end piece (not shown). The upper edge of the semi-partition 23 rises to a height exceeding that of the front and rear edges 21a and 21b of the trough 21, but sufficiently less than the height of the inner surface of the trough 21 so as to form a gap sufficient to permit free passage of the return flight 73c of the lower belt 73 over the semi-partition 23. The edges 21a: and 21b of the trough 21 and the top edge of the semi-partition 23 may, of course, be rounded to minimize wear on the belt 73. A source of compressed air (not shown) may be supplied to the air chamber 20 via a tube 24 (FIG. 10) coupled to the front end piece 22.

When compressed air is supplied to the air chamber 20 through the tube 24, the air accumulates in the trough 21 forcing the liquid level down to a depth equal approximately to the height of the edges 21a and 21b. Inasmuch as the top edge 23a of the semi-partition 23 is somewhat higher than the edges 21a and 21b, the detergentbleach solution with be prevented from flowing from the compartment 4 to the compartment 3. At the same time, the belt 73 rises from the liquid on the rear side of the semi-partition 23, passes over its top edge, and descends into the alkaline solution on the forward side of the semipartition 23. Hence, only the inconsequential amount of detergent-bleach solution wetting the surfaces of the .belt 73, as it passes through the air over the semi-partition 23, will be intermixed with the alkaline solution of the compartment 3. The chamber 20 therefore provides an effective lock through which the lower belt 73 may continuously pass from the compartment 4 into the compartment 3 as it returns toward the feeder section 170 of the system.

The tank 2 may rest upon the floor made of reinforced concrete or other suitable material, and the edges of the bottom plate 16 (FIG. 14) may be secured to the floor 5 by a plurality of screws 25. To damp vibrations and reduce noise, if desired, a layer of insulation 26 may be disposed beneath the bottom plate 16 in a shallow rectangular cavity 27 provided in the floor 5. The second compartment 4 of the tank 2 may also have a drain pipe 28 (FIG. 14) for emptying the detergent-bleach solution whenever it becomes too contaminated for further use or when the compartment 4 becomes too full.

The conveyor transport mechanism 70 (FIG. 6) generally comprises the orbital support frame 80 (FIGS. 6 and 8), the orbital drive mechanism 146 (FIGS. 6 and 8), the rollers 130 (FIGS. 1, 9, 11 and 13), and the roller drive mechanism 155 (FIG. 19). As set forth above,

the function of the conveyor transport mechanism 70 is to support and drive the conveyor 71 through the washer stage 1. The conveyor 71 is carried on the rollers 130, while the roller-drive mechanism 155 rotates selected ones of the rollers 130 to impart lineal motion to the conveyor. The orbital support frame 88 provides support for the structure carrying the rotatable rollers 138, and the orbital drive mechanism 146, on the other hand, moves the rollers 130 in an orbital motion, preferably of about one-eighth inch radius at a repetition frequency of around 400 cycles per minute. Hence, the elemental portions of the conveyor 71 and of any work 19 it may be carrying, travel along a cycloidal path as they move through the cleansing solutions of the tank 2, and the resultant appulsive-reactive interaction between the work 19 and the cleansing solutions produces unexpectedly rapid thorough disassociation of dirt.

The orbital support frame stands within the tank 2 and is comprised principally of a rectangular upper support 81 resting on vertical columns 82, 83, 84 and 85 (FIG. 6); upper rotatable drive shafts 86 and 87 (FIGS. 6, 8 and 9) mounted on the rectangular support 81 above the compartments 3 and 4, respectively; lower rotatable drive shafts 88 and 89 mounted below and in the same vertical planes as the drive shafts 86 and 87, respectively; and the roller-support brackets or walls 90 and 91 mounted vertically in the compartment 3 on the drive shafts 86 and the roller support brackets or walls 92 and 93 mounted vertically in the compartment 4 on the shafts 87 and 89. In a manner to be described more fully below, the orbital drive mechanism 146 rotates the drive shafts 86, 87, 88 and 89 simultaneously in order to impart orbital motion to the roller-support brackets 90, 91, 92 and 93, thereby imparting the orbital motion to the rollers 130 mounted thereon and to the conveyor 71 and the work 19 carried thereby.

The rectangular upper support 81 is comprised of front and rear I-beams 81a and 8112 (FIG. 6) joined at their ends by rectangular cross bars 810 and 81d (FIGS. 4 and 5). To insure against longitudinal vibrations of the rec tangular support 81, it may be braced by beams 94, 95, 96 and a fourth beam (not shown) extending downwardly and outwardly to the floor 5 from respective points on the support 81 adjacent to the four corners of the tank 2.

The vertical columns 82 and 83 carry the front end of the rectangular support 81, and their lower ends are respectively mounted on the compartment 3 on a front I- beam pedestal 97 (FIGS. 8 and 10) and a similar rear pedestal (not shown). The vertical columns 84 and 85 carry the rear end of the rectangular support 81 and are mounted in the compartment 4 on a front I-beam pedestal 98 and a similar rear pedestal (not shown), respectively. The I-beam pedestals are secured by bolts 99 (FIG. 14) to the bottom plate 16 of the tank 2.

The lower drive shaft 88 extends transversely across the compartment 3 from the front I-beam pedestal 97 to the opposite rear I-beam pedestal (not shown). Likewise, the lower drive shaft 89 extends transversely across the compartment 4 from the front I-beam pedestal 98 to the opposite rear I-beam pedestal (not shown). The upper drive shafts 86 and 87 are mounted on the rectangular support 81 in vertical planes common to the lower drive shafts 88 and 89, respectively.

Each of the drive shafts 86, 87, 88 and 89 is formed from a round bar of stainless steel or other material having the requisite properties of corrosion resistance and strength. The ends of the shafts 86 to 89 are reduced in diameter to provide a bearing surface 186 (FIG. 12). Adjacent to the bearing surface 186 on each end of the shafts 86 to 89 there is an eccentric surface 107 having a maximum diameter somewhat greater than that of the bearing surface 106 but less than the diameter of the midportion 108 of the shafts 86 to 89. The bearing surfaces 186 of the shafts 86 to 89 are journaled in sleeve bearing assemblies (FIG. 14), and the eccentric surfaces 107 of the respective shafts carry the roller-support 13 brackets 90, 91, 92 and 93. As represented in FIG. 23, the eccentric axes 120 of the surfaces 107 are preferably displaced one-eighth inch along a common radius from the principal axes 121 of the shafts 86 to 89.

Inasmuch as the bearing assemblies 100 are used on each end of each of the drive shafts 86-89, only the one represented for the front end of the shaft 89 (FIGS. 10, 12 and 14) will be described. This assembly comprises a housing 101 and a bearing sleeve 102 press-fitted tightly in a hole through the housing. The bearing housing 101 is cast or machined to have mounting flanges 101a and 101b which fit flatly against the upper surface of the pedestal 98 and are provided with holes to accommodate bolts or screws 103. The front end of the shaft 89 is reduced in diameter to provide the bearing surface 106 and to provide a shoulder 1060 which helps to prevent the shaft 89 from sliding in the direction of its axis. The bearing surface 106 of the shaft 89' extends beyond the housing 100 a short distance to enable a sprocket 152i of the orbital drive mechanism 146 to be secured in place thereon. A ring 104 provides bearing surfaces between the housing 101 and the sprocket 152 and a ring 105 provides bearing surfaces between the housing 101 and the shoulder 106a.

The roller-support brackets 90, 91, 92 and 93, fabricated from sheet magnesium or other light, corrosionproof material, are made rigid in the vertical direction by corrugations 109, and in the horizontal direction by reinforcement plates 110 secured to each side of the brackets 90-93 along their upper and lower edges. To facilitate mechanical assembly of the orbital support frame 80, and to provide for circulation of the cleansing solutions in the tank compartments 3 and 4, each of the brackets 90 to 93 is fabricated in two similar spacedapart sections. Thus, the bracket 90 (FIGS. 6 and 8) is comprised of sections 90a and 90b coupled in spacedapart relation by the reinforcement plates 110. Likewise, the bracket 91 (FIG. 6) is comprised of sections 91a and 91b the bracket 92 is comprised of sections 92a and 92b, and the bracket 93 is comprised of sections 93a and 93b. The brackets 90 and 91, carried in the compartment 3 on the drive shafts 86 and 88, provide support for the two tiers 130a and 130b of the rollers 130. The brackets 92 and 93, carried in the compartment 4 on the drive shafts 87 and 89, provide support for the four tiers 130d, 1306, 1301 and 130g of the rollers 130.

To mount the roller-support brackets 90, 91, 92 and 93 on the eccentric surfaces 107 of the respective drive shafts 86 to 89, each bracket 90 to 93 is provided with an upper and a lower bearing assembly 111 (FIG. 12) secured to reinforcement plates 110 in a position between the spaced-apart sections 90a and 90b, 91a and 91b, 92a and 92b, and 93a and 93b of the brackets 90 to 93, respectively. Because the eight bearing assemblies required for the brackets 90 to 93 are alike, only the assembly 111 employed at the front end of the shaft 89 (FIG. 12) will be described. This assembly is made up of a cylindrical housing 112 having an annular flange 112a spaced a short distance from one end, and a sleeve bearing 113 lining the inner wall of the cylindrical opening through the housing 112. The reinforcement plates 110 spanning the space separating the section 92:: from its adjacent section 92b are strengthened by rectangular blocks 114 and 115 secured to the outer surfaces of the reinforcement plates 110 with rivets or bolts 116. Holes are provided in the blocks 114 and 115, and in the plates 110, to accommodate the housing 112 which is positioned therein so that the annular flange 112a fits against the block 115. A spacer ring 117 provides bearing surfaces between the shoulder 107a of the shaft and the adjacent end surface of the housing 112 and the sleeve bearing 113. Hence, rotation of the drive shafts 86 to 89 will turn the eccentric surfaces 107 within the bearing assemblies 111, and cause a resultant displacement of the roller-support brackets 90 to 93 along the aforedescribed orbital path.

To provide suitable means for mounting the rollers 130 of the tiers 130a, 130b, 130d, 130e, 130 and 130g, holes in staggered relation for each tier are made in adjacent inward corrugations of the brackets 90 to 93, and pivot blocks 118 (FIGS. 10, 11 and 12) are secured in position to the outer surfaces of the roller-support brackets 90 to 93 at each hole by screws or bolts 119. Each pivot block 118 comprises a pedestal 118a and an integral cylindrical bearing stud 118b projecting far enough to extend a short distance beyond the holes in the brackets 90 to 93.

As represented best in FIGS. 11 and 15, the rollers I 130 are individually comprised of a plurality of wheels 131 in conjoint relation on hollow cylindrical shafts 132. The length of the shafts 132 is great enough to span most of the distance between opposite roller-support brackets and 91, and 92 and 93, respectively. The Wheels 131 are molded of plastic, for example, of nylon or Teflon, and have cylindrical hubs 131a and radial spokes 131b reinforced with ribs 1310. The outer peripheral surface 131:! of the wheels have a series of small, uniformlyspaced protuberances 131a to engage the web of the con-. veyor 71. To interlock the wheels 131, their hubs 131a are provided with notches 131f (FIG. 11) on one end and mating projections 131g on the other end. Hence, when a plurality of the wheels 131 are installed by slipping the same axially onto the shafts 132, the notches 131 and the projections 131g dovetail. This effectively eliminates relative rotation between the adjoining wheels 131. A drive sprocket 157 having a projection 157a (FIGS. 13 and 14) mating with a corresponding notch 131 of the adjacent endmost wheel 131 is applied to one end of each shaft 132, and a ring, corresponding in axial thickness to that of the drive sprocket 157 (see FIG. 11), is applied to the opposite end of each shaft 132, each such ring having a notch therein for receiving, in dovetail fashion, the projection 131g of the next adjacent wheel 131. Each drive sprocket 157 and its corresponding ring are secured to the opposite ends of their respective shaft 132 such as by welding or by appropriate set screws or the like. Thus, it will be understood that the assembly of wheels 131 on each shaft 132 is secured against axial movement along the shaft by the drive sprocket 157 and the corresponding ring at the opposite ends of each shaft 132. At the same time, although the wheels 131 are not fixed directly to their associated shaft 132, they are prevented from rotation relative to the shaft 132 by reason of the dovetailing of their own recesses 1311 and projections 131g and the dovetailing of the recesses and projections of the endmost wheels 131 with the corresponding projections 157a and recesses of the drive sprocket 157 and corresponding ring at the opposite ends of the shaft 132. The open ends of the shafts 132 are plugged with round bearing blocks 133. Each bearing block 133 has a cylindrical recess 133:: for engaging the bearing stud 11811 of one of the pivot blocks 118. From the foregoing, it should be apparent that the rollers 130 are uniquely designed for light weight, high strength, and minimum wear on the conveyor belts 72 and 73.

As shown best inFIGS. 4, 5 and 9, the rollers 130k, 130i, 130i, 130m, 130a], 130a, and 130w are mounted on vertical brackets secured to the orbital support frame 80. Hence, the driven rollers 130h and 130w are mounted on short vertical brackets 139 secured to the upper reinforcement plates of the roller-support brackets 90 to 93, and the drive roller c is mounted between those upper reinforcement plates 110, the idler rollers 130i and 130m are mounted on short brackets 144 also secured to the upper reinforcement plates 110 of the roller-support brackets 90 to 93, and the rollers 130i, 130q and 1301: are mounted, respectively, on vertical brackets 140, 141 and 143, secured, in turn, to the rectangular support 31 of the orbital support frame 80. The idler rollers 130k and 1301 for the return flight of the conveyor belt 73 are mounted on brackets 145 (FIG. 9), which are secured to the bottom plate 16 of the tank 2. The drive roller 1301' for the return flight of the belt 72, the roller 13% for the return flight of the belt 73, and the rollers 130p, 130s, 13th, 138v and 135 may be mounted on a framework (not shown) constructed in accordance with conventional and well-known design principles.

The orbital drive mechanism 146 (FIGS. 4, 6 and 8) is comprised of an electric motor 147 for driving the roller-support brackets 90 to 93 via an endless drive chain 148, engaging a sprocket 149 of the motor 147 and a sprocket 150 on the shaft 86, an endless transmission chain 151a extending between an inner sprocket 152a on the front end of the shaft 86 and a sprocket 152a on the front end of the shaft 88, a chain 151b extending between a sprocket 15% and a sprocket (not shown) secured to the rear ends, respectively, of the shafts 86 and 88, a chain 153a extending between another sprocket 1522 on the front of the shaft 86 and a sprocket 152 on the front of the shaft 87, a chain 153k extending between sprockets 152g and 152k on the rear ends respectively of the shafts 86 and 87, a chain 151a extending between an inner sprocket 1521 on the front end of the shaft 87 and a sprocket 152 on the front end of the shaft 89, and a chain 151d extending between a sprocket 152k and a sprocket (not shown) on the rear ends, respectively, of the shafts 87 and 89. Thus, the torque developed by the electric motor 147 is coupled to the front and rear ends of each of the four drive shafts 86 and 89 via positive chain and sprocket transmissions. Hence, with the maximum radii of the eccentric surfaces 107 (FIG. 12) of the shafts 86 and 89 properly aligned in the same direction when the orbital support frame 80 and the drive mechanism 146 are assembled, the shafts will rotate synchronously thereafter, and the roller-support brackets 90 to 93 will move along the aforedescribed orbit. If it is desired that the drive chains 151a, 151b, 1510 and 151d be maintained out of contact with the solutions in the tank 2, they may be enclosed in suitable tubular casings (not shown) which extend downwardly from above the solution level to the approximate bottom of the tank where they also enclose in a liquid-tight manner the drive sprockets on the opposite ends of the shafts 88 and 89.

The motor 147 of the orbital drive mechanism 146 is secured to the top surface of the I-beam 81a of the rectangular support 81. To increase the effective power transmitted to the shaft 86 from the motor 147, the rate of rotation may be reduced by making the driven sprocket 150 on the shaft 86 somewhat larger in diameter than the driving sprocket 149 of the motor 147.

The roller drive mechanism 155 (FIG, 19) is comprised of an endless chain 156 which engages the sprocket 157 on each of the drive rollers of the numerical series 130; namely, each roller of the tiers 130a, 130b, 130d, 130e, 130 and 138g, and the rollers 1300, 130b, 1307', 130i, 130v and 130w. In addition, the chain 156 also engages a sprocket 193 of the drum 191 of the detergent wringer stage 190. The chain 156 is driven from a sprocket 158 by an electric motor 159. As represented in FIG. 15, by an electric motor 159. As represented in FIG. 15, the roller drive chain 156 and the sprocket 158 are of conventional construction. Moreover, the chain 156 engages the sprocket 157 of each roller of tiers 130a, 130b, 130d, 130e, 130i and 130g, thereby driving all of these rollers simultaneously at the same speed. Because the chain 156 engages the sprockets 157 of successive rollers of each tier on alternate sides, as represented in FIG. 15, each succeeding roller rotates in a direction opposite to that of the preceding roller. This is indicated in FIG. 15 by the arrows. Hence, the upper roller for example, is rotated in a clockwise direction, and the roller in staggered position immediately beneath it is rotated in a counterclockwise direction. The laminar portion 71a of the conveyor carrying the flatwork 19 also engages the wheels- 131 of successive rollers 130 on alternate sides, This 16 arrangement tends to equalize the wear on the belts 72 and 73 as they traverse the rollers 130. The fact that each roller of the tiers a, 130b, 1300!, 130e, 130 and 130g is driven, minimizes the stress on the belts 72 and 73, thereby prolonging their useful life. Furthermore, the size and proximate spacing of the rollers 130 insures that the orbital motion of the rollers 130 is translated continuously into cycloidal movement of elemental portions of the flatwork 19 throughout the time it is immersed in the cleansing fluids, even during the time that the conveyor 71 is traversing the gaps between the rollers 130. This is an important structural feature of the invention which helps minimize the necessary length of the path of travel through the cleansing agent. The fact that each of the rollers of the tiers 130a, 130b, 130d, 130e, 130 and 138g is driven, lengthens the useful life of the belts 72 and 73 by minimizing the stresses to which they are subjected While passing through the tank 2.

In the foregoing paragraphs, the significant structural details of the washer stage 1 have been described with especial emphasis on the features of novelty which render the method and apparatus of the invention superior to the continuous washer technology known to the prior art. As explained above, the extraordinarily thorough and rapid disassociation of dirt from the Work being processed is attributable principally to the appulsive-reactive interaction between it and the cleansing solutions. This interaction, in turn, is achieved by applying an orbital motion to the rollers of the tiers 130a, 1301), 130d, 130e, 1303 and 130g immersed in the fluids of the tank 2. The resulting combination of orbital motion with the normal lineal movement of the conveyor 71 causes the elemental portions of the conveyor and the flatwork 19 to follow cycloidal paths through the cleansing solutions. The

cycloidal motion produces the desired appulsive-reactive 1 interaction between the cleansing fluid and the work, and continues almost without interruption from the moment the work enters the breaking solution in the compartment 3 until it emerges from the detergent-bleach solution in the compartment 4. The repetition frequency of the cycloid is the same as that of the orbital motion imparted to the laminar portion 71a of the conveyor, preferably about 400 cycles per minute with a radial displacement of about one-eighth inch, although it is, of course, Within the scope of the invention to utilize faster or slower cyclic speeds and greater or lesser radial displacements.

It will be understood that the elemental portions of the work 19 are subjected to several species of cycloidal motion. More specifically, while traveling in a generally horizontal straight path, the elemental portions of the work 19 are subjected to simple cycloidal motion; and while traveling in an inclined straight path, the elemental portions of the work 19 may be subjected to prolate cycloidal motion or curtate cycloidal motion. On the other hand, while traveling in an arcuate or part-circular path, the elemental portions of the work 19 may be sub jected to epicycloidal motion or hypocycloidal motion. All forms of cycloidal motion mentioned above produce an improved washing speed and action and an improved cleansing efficiency due to the snapping or Whipping action imparted to the elemental portions of the work 19, see FIG. 21. This snapping or whipping action results from the sudden acceleration and deceleration and reversals in acceleration to which the elemental portions of the work 19 are subjected during cycloidal motion thereof. there being a high acceleration and a sharp reversal of acceleration at the end of each cycle.

Upon emergence from the washer stage 1, the flatwork 19 is fed automatically to the detergent-wringer stage via the discharge section 171 of the conveyor 71.

DETERGENT AND RINSE WRINGERS The detergent-wringer stage 190 and the rinse wringer stage 260 are similar in function and essential structure. Their function is to express as much fluid as possible 17 from the work 19. In the case of the detergent-wringer stage 190, detergent-bleach present in the work 19 emerging from the compartment 4 of the tank 2 is expressed, and in the case of the rinse-wringer stage 260, rinse effluent present in the work 19 emerging from the rinser stage 220 is expressed.

As represented in FIG. 16, the detergent-wringer stage 190 comprises the previously mentioned carrier drum 191 mounted for counterclockwise rotation on a shaft 191a, and a pressure roller 192 resiliently mounted in contact with the drum 191 for clockwise rotation around a shaft 192a. Hence, work emerging from the washer stage becomes sandwiched between the lower belt 73 and the guide belt 136. Thereafter, it is conducted clockwise through an arc of about 180 degrees around the feeder roller 130i and deposited on the surface of the carrier drum 191. The rotation of the carrier drum 191 transports the Work to the point where it is engaged by a pressure roller 192 which exerts sufficient pressure to squeeze out a large percentage of the detergent-bleach solution. The detergent-bleach solution expressed from the work by the detergent wringer stage 190 flows away via any suitable drain (not shown).

As represented in FIG. 19, both the carrier drum 191 and the pressure roller 192 are driven by the electric motor 159 of the roller drive mechanism 155 operating via the drive sprocket 158 and the endless chain 156. The chain 156 engages a sprocket 193 of the carrier drum 191 to drive the latter directly. The pressure roller 192, on the other hand, is driven by a drive chain 258 of the rinser stage 220, the chain 258 being shown by a broken line in FIG. 19 so as to distinguish it from the chain 156. The rinser drive chain 258 is itself driven by another sprocket (not shown) that is secured to the shaft 191a of the drum 191, and the chain 258 engages a sprocket 195 on the pressure roller 192.

After passing between the drum 191 and the pressure roller 192, the work is deposited on a lower belt 223 of the rinser conveyor 221 for transportation through the rinser stage 220.

The rinse wringer stage 260 is similar in function and essential structure to the detergent wringer stage 190. The rinse wringer stage 260 expresses a large percentage of the rinse solution from the work 19 emerging from the rinser stage 220.

Like the detergent wringer stage 190, the rinse wringer stage 260 is of the pressure-roller type. It is made up of a carrier drum 261 mounted for rotation around a shaft 261a, and two pressure rollers 262 and 263 resiliently mounted in rolling contact with the surface of the drum 261 on shafts 262a and 263a, respectively. Hence, work 19 emerging from the rinser stage 220 is deposited automatically on the surface of the drum 261 for transportation between the drum 161 and the pressure rollers 262 and 263. The pressure applied by the rollers 262 and 263 squeezes a large percentage of the rinse solution from the work 19. The solution expressed in this manner flows away through a suitable drain (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 19, the rinse wringer stage 260 also is driven by the rinser drive chain 258 which, as previously stated, is driven by the driven drum 191. The rinser drive chain 258 drivingly engages a sprocket 264 secured to the shaft 261a of the carrier drum 261, and sprockets 265 and 266 secured respectively to pressureroller shafts 262a and 263a, respectively, of the pressure rollers 262 and 263. An idler sprocket 267 mounted for rotation around a shaft 267a makes it possible to route the chain 258 between the sprockets 265 and 266 in order to drive both of the latter in a counterclockwise direction, the direction required for movement of the contiguous surfaces of the carrier drum 261 and the pressure rollers 262 and 263 in a common direction.

After passing through the rinse wringer stage 260,

the work is deposited automatically on the conveyor 276 of the dryer stage 275.

THE RINSER In the rinser stage 220, the detergent-bleach solution remaining in the work 19 upon its emergence from the detergent wringer stage effectively is washed away by a mist of water and superheated steam or other gas or air continuously forced through the work 19 from a plurality of elongated nozzles transversely disposed above and in effective contacts with the work 19 as it is carried beneath them on a conveyor. In accordance with this invention, economy of operation and superior rinsing effectiveness are achieved notwithstanding the fact that the rinse water and steam or air or other gas flow continuously. As explained below in greater detail, this improved economy and rinsing action are attributable both to the use of a steam-water or air-water or gas-water mist forcefully expelled from a plurality of nozzles effectively in contact with the work 19 passing beneath their openings, and to successive reuse of the rinse effluent by conducting it in a countercurrent direction from the last through each nozzle to the first of the series.

As represented best in FIG. 16, the rinser stage 220 is comprised generally of the rinser conveyor 221, four knife rinsing units 230a, 230b, 2300 and 230d for forming and discharging the water-steam or water-air or watergas mist through the work 19 carried by the rinser conveyor 221, four vessels 240a, 240b, 2400 and 2400! for collecting the rinse eflluent from each of the four units, and four force pumps 250a, 250b, 2500 and 250d for forcing the effluent in a countercurrent direction from one vessel to the next in each successive rinsing unit and from the vessel 240d to the compartment 3 of the tank 2 (FIG. 1) via the pipe 251. Water from a water source (not shown) is supplied to the rinsing unit 230a via the pipe 252 and superheated steam or air or other inert gas provided through the pipes 253, is added to the rinse solution in each of the rinsing units 230a, 230b, 2300 and 230d. A valve 254 makes it possible to regulate the flow of water, and a valve 255 makes it possible to regulate the flow of steam, air or other gas to the rinsing units 230a, 230b, 2300 and 230d to an appropriate rate. The countercurrent flow path of the rinse solution through the rinser stage 220 is from the pipe 252 to the rinsing unit 230a, through the conveyor 221 and the flatwork 19 carried thereby to the vessel 240a, to the rinsing unit 2301: via a pipe 256a and the force pump 250a, again through the conveyor 221 and the work 19 to the vessel 240b, thence to the rinsing unit 2300 via a pipe 256b and the force pump 250b, once again through conveyor 221 and the work 19 to the vessel 2400, finally to the rinsing unit 230d via a pipe 2560 and the force pump 2500, again through the conveyor 221 and the work 19 to the vessel 240d, and finally to the compartment 3 of the tank 2 via the pipe 251 and the force pump 250d. It is, of course, to be understood that the pumps may be of conventional structure and may be driven in any suitable way.

The rinser conveyor 221 is made up of upper and lower, open mesh, endless belts 222 and 223 and is inclined upwardly and to the right as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 16 at an angle of about 10. The upper belt 222, disposed for rotation in the counterclockwise direction on driven rollers 224a and 224b, has a lower flight in contiguous relation with the upper flight of the lower belt 223, thereby forming a laminar portion 221a of the rinser conveyor 221 for sandwiching the flatwork 19 (FIG. 17) interjacently during its trip through the rinser stage 220. The lower belt 223, disposed for rotation in the clockwise direction on a driven roller 2240 and idler rollers 224d and 224e, has an upper flight supported along its midsection by the upper surfaces of the closely-spaced vessels 240a, 240b, 2400 and 240a.

It is desirable to maximize the penetration of the flatwork 19 (FIG. 17) by the steam-water or air-water or 

